He didn't have as dynamite a regular season as he did in 2013, but Greg Bird put an exclamation point on his stellar Arizona Fall League season by being named MVP of the league yesterday. Bird got off to a hot start in the first 2 weeks and kept his performance up over the length of the season, finishing with a .313/.391/.556 slash line in 99 at-bats. He led the league in home runs (6), runs scored (21), and hits (31), and was second in RBI (21). and total bases (55). Among hitters with at least 70 at-bats, his .947 OPS was best. He also did this.
Bird has been on the offensive upswing ever since the Yankees moved him out from behind the plate to first base prior to the 2013 season. He's still nothing special defensively at the position, but he's shown an ability to hit for plus average, plus power, and draw a ton of walks over the last 2 seasons, and he's worked himself into serious consideration for a spot on the Major League roster in the near future. He'll most likely start 2015 back in Double-A. If he keeps raking there and finishes the year at SWB, he immediately becomes a contender to break in on Opening Day 2016.